Lodhi Gardens
An oasis of shaded tranquility, the Lodhi Gardens are a welcome refuge from the clamour and dust of Delhi. The extensive gardens boast a fine collection of tropical shrubs and trees. There are also a number of monuments of the Lodhi Sultanate (1451-1526), including the Shish Gumbad, the Bara Gumbad and the Tomb of Mohammed Shah. Picnickers flock to the gardens on Sundays, so if you savour serenity come on a weekday.

Lodhi Road, south-central New Delhi
Opening hours: Daily 0600-2000.
Free admission.

National Rail Museum
The principal glory of the National Rail Museum is the open-air display of old steam locomotives and rolling stock. Particularly interesting are the ‘special' carriages belonging to British and Indian grandees, such as the Gaekwar of Baroda's Saloon, with its ornate gold and enamel ceiling. The indoor gallery also has some interesting exhibits that include train models, antique clocks, railway furniture, old documents and historical photographs.

Chanakyapuri
Tel: (011) 2688 1816.
Website: www.nationalrailmuseum.org
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0930-1730 (Oct-Mar); 0930-1930 (Apr-Sep).
Admission charge.

Gandhi Smriti (Birla House)
Birla House owes its historical resonance to the fact that Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated there by a Hindu extremist on 30 January 1948 while attending an evening prayer meeting. The house is now a poignant shrine to the Mahatma with a museum paying tribute to him and containing a collection of his personal items, including the famous round spectacles he wore. The exact spot in the garden where Gandhi met his death is marked by a small pavilion.

5 Tees January Marg
Tel: (011) 2301 2843.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1330 and 1400-1700.
Free admission.

Safdarjang's Tomb
The finest surviving example of a late Mughal garden tomb, Safdarjang's Tomb was built by the Nawab of Avadh to commemorate his father. It may lack the perfect proportions and exhilarating simplicity of Humayun's Tomb (which is 200 years older) but it is, in its own over-elaborate way, a splendid building.

Aurobindo Marg and Lodhi Road
Opening hours: Daily dawn-dusk.
Admission charge.